Any of the following are likely to lead to an ATV accident: An improperly seated driver; more than one person riding an ATV designed for only one person; a driver failing to wear the proper safety gear, including a helmet and face protection; a child operating a vehicle that is too large; speeding; being unaware of hazardous conditions; careless, reckless or negligent driving; consumption of alcohol or drugs by the driver; operating an ATV on a highway; failure to follow the safety recommendations of the ATV manufacturer; or driving on a defective machine
There have been an estimated 45,410 four-wheeler deaths since 1985 in the United States, according to statistics from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Between 1982 and 2001, the number of injuries caused by four-wheeler related accidents more than doubled to 111,700 also according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Two-wheelers on the other hand, can't crush the rider. The most that a two-wheeler can do in any case is fall on your legs which can cause some injuries to the rider. Two-wheelers make up less than 2% of all registered vehicles and only 0.4% of all vehicle miles traveled. Two-wheel riders, however, account for over 8% of total traffic accidents and fatalities (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA, 2001). In the year 2001, there were 16 deaths for every 100,000 registered motorcycles. Since 1997, ATV fatalities have increased by more than 50% (NHTSA, 2002). .
Another danger to any rider on a four-wheeler is their feet slipping off the pegs. Unlike a two-wheeler, four-wheelers have a rear axle which is spun by a chain. When a rider's foot slips off the peg of a four-wheeler, it tends to get pulled underneath the plastic casing of the machine. This has happened to my friend Grant Alois. While we were riding in wet conditions through some trails around town, his foot slipped off the peg.
